Senior point guard balances basketball, recreational therapy


Senior point guard Taylor Shade has balanced basketball and an internship as she prepares to graduate at the end of the semester. Photo courtesy of Alex J. Hernandez.

Senior point guard Taylor Shade has balanced basketball and an internship as she prepares to graduate at the end of the semester. Photo courtesy of Alex J. Hernandez.

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

Taylor Shade joined elite company last week.

When she hit a three-pointer early in the first quarter at a home against North Texas Feb. 18, the FIU women’s basketball senior guard became just the 23rd player in program history to hit the 1,000-career point plateau.

It was a rewarding moment for Shade, who had a rocky start to her career at FIU several years earlier. She has since emerged as one of the team’s key players and a source of leadership.

“We ask her to do a whole lot and she’s responded really well for us and accepted the challenge,” says first-year Head Coach Marlin Chinn. “Once you have an opportunity to be around her and see the type of quality person she is and it stands out on the floor.”

But the game of basketball gives people just a glimpse of her daily life. In fact, earlier that same day when she reached a thousand points, she was wearing a different uniform in a much different setting.

DAY SHIFT

That morning at around 8:30 a.m. she began her shift at the Broward Health Medical Center, where she is currently in the midst of an internship. She spends somewhere between 20 and 30 hours at the hospital, where she serves as a recreational therapist for patients with a variety of behavioral and mental health issues, ranging from drug abuse to criminal rehabilitation.

Shade, along with Broward Health staff and other interns in her area, help organize different activities for patients to participate in while in the hospital’s care.

The activities usually include “Bingo Night” on Fridays, board games, Wii Sports, painting and art classes. One of Shade’s favorite activities is karaoke day.

“It’s really fun to see their personalities come out,” Shade says. “We try to give them an outlet for their creativity and get their minds off their condition for a little while. We want to make it a comfortable environment that is as close to home as possible.”

The hospital is a short-term facility that helps stabilize the patients who are coming in, which means that the internship experience can at times be very unpredictable.

“Some patients that are there one week are gone the next, so you get all these different personalities coming in and out,” she says. “You never know what to expect. We have some patients that come in very agitated. It can be hard to get them out of their rooms to participate.”

Before last Thursday’s game, she finished her shift around 1 p.m. and drove down to Modesto A. Maidique Campus just in time for an afternoon shoot-around with the team, a pregame meal and treatment.

ROCKY ROAD

Back on the court, Shade’s career at FIU has been filled with ups and downs. She came to FIU after a highly-successful high school career at Boynton Beach Community High, where she helped lead her team to a district championship in her senior season and received a multitude of all-state accolades.

But when she arrived at FIU, a new reality set in. Instead of being a go-to player, she spent most of her freshman season as a spectator.

“It was tough for me to adjust. I came out of high school with a bit of an ego and it was a culture shock,” Shade recalls. “I wasn’t used to sitting on the bench. I had to work really hard to get off the bench.”

Taylor Shade has led all Panthers in scoring with 14.4 points per game this season. Photo courtesy of Alex J. Hernandez.

Taylor Shade has leads all Panthers in scoring with 14.4 points per game this season as of Feb. 25. Photo courtesy of Alex J. Hernandez.

After an offseason of working hard to improve her game and a newfound motivation to earn more playing time, former Head Coach Cindy Russo noticed and rewarded her with a more prominent role in her sophomore year.

“I came back and Coach Russo saw the light finally click in me,” Shade says.

As a sophomore during the 2013-2014 season, she helped the Panthers – featuring senior guard Jerica Coley, who became one of the all-time scoring leaders in NCAA Division I history – make a surprising run to the Conference USA tournament semifinals.

“We had a little Cinderella story going on that year,” Shade says. “I finally got a chance to start and I was playing behind a bunch of upper classmen, who really helped boost my confidence a bit. Playing with that group was pretty awesome.”

THE FUTURE

Shade expects to graduate this spring with a degree in recreation and sports management. The recreation therapy track was not exactly what she had expected it to be; she has grown to enjoy the kind of fieldwork that comes with it.

After completing an internship last summer working with children with autism, she realized that she would love to eventually practice recreational therapy with children.

Before she enters the field, Shade hopes to pursue her dream of playing professional basketball in the WNBA or somewhere overseas.

No matter what life holds for Shade after she graduates, Chinn believes Shade has all the tools necessary to be successful in whatever path she chooses.

“I’m excited for her because I know she’s going to have a bright future once the ball stops bouncing for her,” Chinn says.

Taylor Shade and the other seniors on the team will play their final home game as a Panther on Senior Day this Saturday vs. Florida Atlantic at 7 p.m. For more information on FIU women’s basketball, go to FIUSports.com.